“You fucking touch him I’ll fucking beat your fucking ass.” – team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. to driver Ryan Newman after Newman tried to approach his son Luke Baldwin following Friday’s SMART Modified Tour event.
It’s fair to say the tech area was like a tinder box waiting for a spark to light the fire when Nick Anglace pulled into the tech area at Stafford Speedway Friday following the Monaco Ford SK Light Double Down.
Quite a few people in tech and hanging on the rails outside tech were chirping loudly at Anglace and his crew following his last lap move on Meg Fuller in the SK Light Modified feature. The temperature in the area cooled immediate and there were rousing cheers going up when Stafford officials told Anglace and his crew that he was being disqualified from his victory.
But the heat at Stafford was nothing compared to what was taking place a few hundred miles south at Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, Va.
Franklin County hosted the SMART Modified Tour Friday night along with the Carolina Crate Modified Series.
Officials from the Carolina Crate Modified Series race stopped the event six laps short of its scheduled conclusion due to a massive brawl erupting on the track during the event. The brawl was sparked when longtime Modified racing veteran Burt Myers attacked series officials while cars were stopped on the track. Myers was angry over a call made against his son Slate.
Check Short Track Scene for a story on the fight and multiple videos of the brawl.
And the fire was stoked in the pits following the SMART Modified Tour after Ryan Newman and Luke Baldwin – son of Modified team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. – had issues during the feature.
Newman and Baldwin exchanged a bushel of F-bombs before Newman shoved Baldwin leading to the pair being split by crews.
I don’t know the whole story but I have felt for many years the Newman should not be in the Modified Division, I’ve seen him race guys like they were in Cup cars and that’s not Modified racing.
Newman is just frustrated because these young drivers are giving him a good old fashion ass whipping 😭
Newman was not expecting Tommy to give him the FU straight to his face.lmao Can’t stand that munchkin
Baldwin said in 2nd place interview he made a lot of mistakes and putting Newman into the wall was one of them.. He was tight with new right rear and car took off high on turn exit and put Newman into the fence.. Ryan Newman is a quality Driver and was trying to talk to the Driver not Tommy Sr.. Cooler heads will prevail …Newman had a chance to Win but he got put into the wall, so he had good reason to want to talk to Luke Baldwin after the show.. Carson Lofton is a HOT Driver Winning 5 out of 6 SMART Tour races this year… I saw Him Win at Hickory … Excellent young Driver..!!! These SMART Tour Races are getting better & Better with more Competition than the Whelen Modified Tour … Lots more guys can run up front with a chance to Win
Next time I read an article preaching about the alleged damage that negativity on social media being a detriment to local racing I’m going to remember this video /broadcast to a national audience and laugh. Will CCM do the right thing and eject the Myers racing clan lead by bubbly Burt who makes a complete jackhole out of himself (again)? The B/G show goes on the road to FCS…..what a joke. As to Newman….I’d be pissed too if I kept getting run up and put into the wall at these too narrow to race racetracks. Burt and Tommy Baldwin acting like little league parents….imagine that. Great idea putting kiddies of the famous into full size cars, racing with real drivers well before their maturity is formed enough to accept responsibility of their actions. Pretty disheartening I think.
If your “Daddy” is anywhere around your pit you’re not a real race driver. That goes for Baldwin, Fuller, Logano, Verstappen, Gibbs, and a couple dozen more.
I can’t stand Newman, but I think he is totally in the right here. If you’re not driving the car, shut up!
“Little League parents”; you nailed it, Crazy in NY.
Tom Baldwin is just like his father’s total hot head that thinks he’s God’s gift to modified racing and his drivers and kids can never do anything wrong! If you let your kids race then you have to let them suffer the consequences of their actions plain and simple! Especially when the kid admits he screwed up and put Newman into the wall!
If your “Daddy” is anywhere around your pit you’re not a real race driver.
Ah……there are a couple of teams on Mud Lane that might not agree with that. I wouldn’t make a blanket statement like that but in too many cases it hasn’t worked out. Loftin appears to be another exception but I guess it comes down to who his mentoring and schooling these youngsters and is likely a reflection of their upbringing. There are loads of examples of older guys “loosing” it so no one view can be formed over these unfortunate incidents. These clown shows really give a black eye to the whole sport which has guys like me so concerned.
One of the Myers brothers was interviewed a couple years ago and he said his superior driving and skill was a gift from God. So there you have it.
And all these guys fighting in the pits are the same ones standing at attention during the invocation. Dear God, please protect these drivers from themselves… Good thing sins are forgiven.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Newman is getting worked over, he’s on the receiving end now. The window is closing on his driving, and he’s not presentable, never going to have an announcer job, or any kind of TV job. He’s a worn out lug nut.
I like the little league parents categorization best. Oh well, everybody can have a bad day. Too his credit Baldwin did own up to his many mistakes. His words, not mine. Back when Mark Martin was so young compared to the men he was racing against he had a little more respect for his competitors than most youngsters these days. Bill Elliott too. Kinda like Chase Elliott and currently Carson Lofton. Most of the time when Martin did make a mistake like Baldwin did Friday night, he usually had some pretty big brawler types in his pit or nearby to protect him from an ass whoopin. I can’t remember for sure if Marks father went to very many races.
In Burt Myers case He put a lot of people that favor him between a rock and a hard place. SMART’s head honcho likes to pattern the rules and the way he runs things as much as possible like NU$CAR. This year he took a win away from Blake Barney of Jersey (going strictly by NU$CAR rule book), because the casting # on the Intake manifold was one digit off. I doubt you will see that team at another SMART race. As an aside I doubt you will see that team at another SMART race. The whole world will be watching to see if any corrective disciplinary action will be taken against Myers by SMART for conduct unbecoming of a gentleman; or whatever NU$CAR calls it.
Then the most anticipated decision will have to be made, ignored or splained away by NU$CAR themselves in regard to Bowman Gray stadium which they now are the proprietors of. The Ramaeu / Bessette incident at a non NU$CAR event at I believe a non NU$CAR track had the suspension hammer falling swiftly on Rameau. How can they now turn a blind eye to Burt Myers and not suspend him from weekly competion at “The Stadium”. Heck; what about the kid for that matter. Ain’t minors supposed to be on a shorter leash to be allowed to compete? I can’t believe Burt would lose his cool like that over a couple of spots on the track for his son in a race where his son hadn’t even contended for the lead with less than ten laps left. Entitlement syndrome I guess.
I hope FLO, the CCMS, Franklin County officals or any other entity gives Myers cover fire in this situation. As of Sunday night the full monty was still available unedited on Flo replay, but I don’t expect it to stay there. We shall see.